The parents of Tom Phillips, who vanished with his three children into the New Zealand wilderness in 2021, have made a public apology - their first comments since their fugitive son was shot dead by police a month ago.
We would like to send our sincere apology... for all the trouble, inconvenience, loss of privacy and property caused by Tom, Neville and Julia Phillips wrote in a letter published on Thursday.
We are truly sorry for all that you had to endure.
Mr. Phillips, who disappeared with his children in part due to a custody dispute, evaded capture for nearly four years, despite a nationwide search and multiple sightings.
We in no way supported him or agreed with any of his actions in the past four years, Neville and Julia Phillips said in the letter published in King Country News, a small community newspaper.
Their son was killed in a shoot-out on 8 September, in which a police officer was also seriously injured. The officer has since been discharged from hospital, local media reported.
One of Mr. Phillips' children had been with him during the shoot-out and provided information to help locate his two other children later that day.
Before Mr. Phillips and his children vanished, they had been living in Marokopa, a rural town in the Waikato region surrounded by dense bush. Mr. Phillips was known as an experienced hunter familiar with the area he disappeared into.
The vast terrain in which Phillips kept the children is difficult and steep, almost completely obscured by dense bush, according to local authorities.
Police had surveillance footage showing Mr. Phillips and his children as they broke into stores for supplies during their time in the wilderness. Their final encounter with police occurred when Mr. Phillips allegedly attempted to break into a store, leading to a chase and the eventual shoot-out.
The primary aim of the police operation was to locate and return the children safely. Officials stated they were aware that Phillips had firearms and would not hesitate to use them.
Calls for Phillips to return had come from his family prior to the tragic events, with his mother and sister urging him to come home and seek help.
We would like to send our sincere apology... for all the trouble, inconvenience, loss of privacy and property caused by Tom, Neville and Julia Phillips wrote in a letter published on Thursday.
We are truly sorry for all that you had to endure.
Mr. Phillips, who disappeared with his children in part due to a custody dispute, evaded capture for nearly four years, despite a nationwide search and multiple sightings.
We in no way supported him or agreed with any of his actions in the past four years, Neville and Julia Phillips said in the letter published in King Country News, a small community newspaper.
Their son was killed in a shoot-out on 8 September, in which a police officer was also seriously injured. The officer has since been discharged from hospital, local media reported.
One of Mr. Phillips' children had been with him during the shoot-out and provided information to help locate his two other children later that day.
Before Mr. Phillips and his children vanished, they had been living in Marokopa, a rural town in the Waikato region surrounded by dense bush. Mr. Phillips was known as an experienced hunter familiar with the area he disappeared into.
The vast terrain in which Phillips kept the children is difficult and steep, almost completely obscured by dense bush, according to local authorities.
Police had surveillance footage showing Mr. Phillips and his children as they broke into stores for supplies during their time in the wilderness. Their final encounter with police occurred when Mr. Phillips allegedly attempted to break into a store, leading to a chase and the eventual shoot-out.
The primary aim of the police operation was to locate and return the children safely. Officials stated they were aware that Phillips had firearms and would not hesitate to use them.
Calls for Phillips to return had come from his family prior to the tragic events, with his mother and sister urging him to come home and seek help.
